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Articles 91 - 120 of 186

Full-Text Articles in Geography

Laboratory Exercise – Determining Evacuation Route For Deer Creek Dam Failure, Eleise Hinton, Matt Randall, Brian Packer Jan 2016

Laboratory Exercise – Determining Evacuation Route For Deer Creek Dam Failure, Eleise Hinton, Matt Randall, Brian Packer

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

Deer Creek Reservoir holds a volume of approximately 153,000 acre-ft of water. All of this water is held back by Deer Creek dam. Below the dam, the Provo River flows through Provo Canyon and down into Provo before terminating at Utah Lake. While the chance of a dam break is considered unlikely, an extreme event such as a major earthquake could trigger a break. In the case of a dam break, residents of Provo who live in the flood path will need to know where to evacuate. This exercise will create a model to show the nearest evacuation sites for …


Laboratory Exercise — Safety On Roads, Elise Estep, Kyungmin Kim, Danielle Nixon Jan 2016

Laboratory Exercise — Safety On Roads, Elise Estep, Kyungmin Kim, Danielle Nixon

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

In transportation study area, safety is a great issue. GIS is appropriate to perform spatial analysis the accident history in define area. Specifically, GIS allow researchers to find an area or road segment that have high probability of any type of car accident such as Vehicle to Vehicle, Vehicle to Pedestrian, and Vehicle to Bicycle.


Final Laboratory Project - Finding The Ideal Camping Location In The Uintas, Jeffrey Baker, Josh Curtis, Ryan Egbert Jan 2016

Final Laboratory Project - Finding The Ideal Camping Location In The Uintas, Jeffrey Baker, Josh Curtis, Ryan Egbert

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

GIS is used extensively by the United States Forest Service in mapping and research. Many resources are available online including raster data and shapefiles. The use of GIS tools allows for analyzing entire forests and finding specific points within large areas that meet certain criteria. The Ashley National Forest, High Uinta Mountains Wilderness, in northeastern Utah contains many shapefiles including roads, forest, highway, points of interest, lakes, streams, etc. The purpose of this lab is to use these available datasets to identify ideal locations to set up camp in the Uinta Mountains.


Child Safety Near Pot Shops In Denver, Jacob Flansberg, Elise Jackson, Amelia Theobald Jan 2016

Child Safety Near Pot Shops In Denver, Jacob Flansberg, Elise Jackson, Amelia Theobald

Engineering Applications of GIS - Laboratory Exercises

Some major factors in deciding where one’s family should live include relative safety of the neighborhood, available green space such as parks and schools, grocery stores, and other commercial retail in the area. With the legalization of marijuana in states such as Colorado, proximity of these marijuana dispensaries has become another factor. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) can be used as a measure of vegetation, and to determine areas with high levels of irrigated vegetation. Using ArcGIS Modelbuilder, the data from an NDVI analysis can be used to determine the proximity of marijuana shops to these types of greenspaces …


Fawad And Zakeela, Fawad, Zakeela, Tsos Jan 2016

Fawad And Zakeela, Fawad, Zakeela, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Fawad and his wife, Zakeela, have three children. Zakeela was a beautician, and Fawad was a singer in the Baghlan district in Afghanistan. The music he produced was not in accordance with the strict restrictions of the Taliban. They threatened his life and assaulted him many times, so he decided to leave with his family to Kabul. Fawad’s day job was as an FM radio producer; at night, he moonlighted as a singer and musician. He produced music for ceremonies and weddings, often performing for the women’s part, which the Taliban did not accept. Eventually, his life was again threatened, …


Faroosh And Elina, Faroosh, Elina, Tsos Jan 2016

Faroosh And Elina, Faroosh, Elina, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Faroosh was a cameraman for a private television program in Afghanistan working on a documentary about the Taliban. When he and his crew were discovered, the Taliban attacked them and he and his wife fled to Turkey, walking 12 hours to get there. Upon arrival the police arrested and harassed them. Turkey was not a safe place. After several suicide bombings in the area, they decided to move on to Greece, where they are in a refugee camp without any progress in their situation. They have no money to move forward and no ability to work and the economic situation …


Developing Utah Juniper Into A Useful Species For Dendrochronology, Calli Nielsen, Dr. Matthew F. Bekker Jun 2015

Developing Utah Juniper Into A Useful Species For Dendrochronology, Calli Nielsen, Dr. Matthew F. Bekker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Utah juniper is rarely used by dendrochronologists in tree-ring applications. In the global species database, Utah juniper has a score of 1, which means that it typically only crossdates within its own site, and is therefore not useful in tree-ring research. This mentored research project was conducted to demonstrate that it is a potentially very valuable species. Our preliminary research showed a very high correlation among other juniper sites in Utah, making us confident that if we moved forward, our further results would prove the usefulness of this species. In northern Utah, traditionally used species aren’t available because we are …


Missing Teeth: The Economic Impact Of Holes In The Urban Fabric, Andrew Van Leuven, Dr. Ryan Jensen Jun 2015

Missing Teeth: The Economic Impact Of Holes In The Urban Fabric, Andrew Van Leuven, Dr. Ryan Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One of the more widespread issues facing twenty-first century planners and policymakers is that of urban decline, especially in the midwest and northeastern United States.


Large Developments And Light Rail Stops: An Analysis Of Development And Transit In The Sacramento Metropolitan Region, Chelsea Bakaitis, Michael Clay Apr 2015

Large Developments And Light Rail Stops: An Analysis Of Development And Transit In The Sacramento Metropolitan Region, Chelsea Bakaitis, Michael Clay

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The traditional downtown and suburban form of a metropolis is becoming an obsolete model to describe the Sacramento region. The region has five commercial centers among the communities (described as “edge cities”) surrounding the traditional downtown of the City of Sacramento (Garreau 1991). Developers of the region have been building and are building large (over 100,000 square feet) units to house multiple uses from medical offices to shopping malls. These buildings are a part of the urban form of Sacramento and are primary to the landscape of the region. The road system is central to landuse practice of the region, …


Correlation Between Streamflow Records In The Southern Wasatch Front, Utah And Regional Tree-Ring Chronologies, Chelsea Decker, Dr. Matthew Bekker Apr 2014

Correlation Between Streamflow Records In The Southern Wasatch Front, Utah And Regional Tree-Ring Chronologies, Chelsea Decker, Dr. Matthew Bekker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The arid and heavily populated Wasatch Front in Utah is dependent on streamflow from snowmelt. Historical records of streamflow go back about 100 years but this is insufficient to provide a complete picture of streamflow variability in the area. Water managers would greatly benefit from a more extensive record of streamflow in the area to adequately plan for future population growth along the Wasatch Front.


Modeling Home Market Value Using Remote Sensing Vegetation Indices, Carson Stam, Dr. Ryan Jensen Apr 2014

Modeling Home Market Value Using Remote Sensing Vegetation Indices, Carson Stam, Dr. Ryan Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As the principal habitat of the human race, urban areas require a high degree of attention and research. The United Nations has estimated that slightly over 50% of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. This number is projected to increase steadily in the coming decades. The ability to understand our habitat as a species is key to understanding our future. An important component of any urban area is the urban forest. McPherson and Luttinger (1996) stated that “[r]esearch is revealing that with proper management and care, urban forests can contribute to the economic vitality and the quality of …


Stream Turbidity: A Variable To Co-Habitation Of Fish Predators And Prey?, Nicholas Davis, Dr. Ryan Jensen Mar 2014

Stream Turbidity: A Variable To Co-Habitation Of Fish Predators And Prey?, Nicholas Davis, Dr. Ryan Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Global bio-diversity is being threatened by many different factors. Most of this is man induced. One of these factors is the introduction of non-native organisms to new locations. One hypothesis that explains why some non-native invasive organisms are so successful is that the native organisms have not evolved strategies to effectively interact with the new organism’s strategy (e.g. competition, predation impacts). Essentially, they are unprepared to defend themselves or deal with the novel threat.


Who Comes To The Bucharest Markets?, Daniel N. Dubei, Dr. Sam Otterstrom Feb 2014

Who Comes To The Bucharest Markets?, Daniel N. Dubei, Dr. Sam Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Johann Von Thunen’s model of agricultural land use has done much to explain the use of agricultural land in Europe prior to industrialization. His theory predicts the type of crop produced by the distance from the market. Modern transportation (1) though has improved the spatial pattern of crops and other products; no longer do they follow his theory. Romania is a country that is not yet fully modernized, and I researched how transportation is changing the land use now. I have found that improvements in transportation have allowed many farmers to come to the Bucharest market from further distances than …


Historical Evolution Of Latin American City Structure: Costa Rican Cities As Test Cases, Vaughn Robert Pickell, Dr. Samuel M. Otterstrom Feb 2014

Historical Evolution Of Latin American City Structure: Costa Rican Cities As Test Cases, Vaughn Robert Pickell, Dr. Samuel M. Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When the European explorers came to America they brought with them their pattern of city design. Jorge Hardoy (1982) asserts that the Spanish “built cities that in layout, architectural styles, technology, land-use patterns and even in criteria used to select the location of the new settlements” was just as they had done in Europe (24). As part of their European tradition, the conquistadors believed that God should be the focus of all good society, and therefore built the local Catholic church in the center of the newly established city. Regardless of the size of the local population, a church would …


Boom And Bust: A Look At The Changing Economic And Demographic Profile Of Grand County, Utah, Greg B. Hall Feb 2014

Boom And Bust: A Look At The Changing Economic And Demographic Profile Of Grand County, Utah, Greg B. Hall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Inter-Mountain West counties who historically have tied their economic livelihood to the exploitation of primary resources have been susceptible to cycles of boom and bust. The history of Grand County, Utah, depicts this precise paradigm. In the 1950’s, when a young Texan discovered uranium in the resource rich Colorado Plateau, north of Moab, economic prosperity and a population explosion came the way of Grand County. Mines in the county processed 95% of all uranium ores for the nation. The population reached 10,000 people, and wealth flowed from the pits of this rich resource. The market lulled soon thereafter, and intermittent …


A Comparative Study Of Hopi-Navajo Land Use Management, And The Environmental Impact Of The 1992 Proposal For Settlement Of The Hopi-Navajo Dispute, Benjamin A. Thomson Feb 2014

A Comparative Study Of Hopi-Navajo Land Use Management, And The Environmental Impact Of The 1992 Proposal For Settlement Of The Hopi-Navajo Dispute, Benjamin A. Thomson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

To introduce this research summary, I would like to include a brief background to my research topic. Since the creation of the Hopi and Navajo reservations in 1880, these two tribes have disputed the use of the land. By 1974 the Navajo, living on a reservation surrounding that of the Hopi, had moved on to a considerable portion of Hopi land under the provision of a Joint Use Area which had been created in 1962. After the Hopi sued the Navajo, a federal judge ordered the relocation of the Navajo, once again, and a return of the land to the …


Timber Dependency And Geographic Change In Lane County, Oregon, Stacey Petersen Feb 2014

Timber Dependency And Geographic Change In Lane County, Oregon, Stacey Petersen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In fulfillment of !he responsibilities of a recipient of !he scholarship for Undergraduate research, I submit !his final report on Timber Dependency and Geographic Change in Lane County, Oregon. The scholarship enabled me to do !he following:


Ethnic Change In Slovakia Between 1773 And 1910, Michele N. Richardson, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom Jan 2014

Ethnic Change In Slovakia Between 1773 And 1910, Michele N. Richardson, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

At the end of World War I, the Treaty of Trianon divided the former Austro-Hungarian Empire into multiple autonomous states including Czechoslovakia. Hungarians vociferously decried the southern border around the Slovak portion of this state, which became the independent Slovak Republic in 1993, claiming that it bisected an ethnically homogeneous Hungarian area between two political states. Conversely, proponents of the 1918 border argued that the dominant Hungarian presence in southern Slovakia was merely the result of Magyarization, a government policy aimed at suppressing minorities and forcefully assimilating them into Magyar (ethnic Hungarian) culture. Unfortunately, at this time nobody definitively knew …


Germans In Slovakia: Settlement Patterns, Daniel Reeves, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom Jan 2014

Germans In Slovakia: Settlement Patterns, Daniel Reeves, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

From the Middle Ages to the present there has been—to varying degrees—a German minority among the Slovak people. Though nearly nonexistent today, this minority has historically been an important part of Slovakia’s population. German settlers were drawn to Slovakia for several reasons over the centuries, and in the year 1400, with a population of 400,000, their influence on Slovakia reached its peak. Today, the German population in Slovakia is limited to adventurous businessmen and students. These dramatic changes form a base for this research, which has been designed to study the settlement patterns of Germans within Slovakia (Jahn, 1971, p. …


Vehicle Burglaries In Provo’S South Campus Neighborhood: A Spatial And Environmental Assessment, Donald Ludlow, James Davis, Dr. J. Matthew Shumway Jan 2014

Vehicle Burglaries In Provo’S South Campus Neighborhood: A Spatial And Environmental Assessment, Donald Ludlow, James Davis, Dr. J. Matthew Shumway

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recent technological advances in police record keeping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software enable police departments and security specialists to better identify the spatial patterns of criminal activity. This research project utilizes both Provo Police Department database outputs and ArcView GIS software to examine the spatial nature of vehicle burglaries in Provo, Utah’s “South Campus” neighborhood. The area of the study is shown in figure 1 and includes an area of both high automobile burglary reports and a high proportion of students.


How Arabs Feel About American Culture, Chad Emmett, Dr. Jill Jenkins Jan 2014

How Arabs Feel About American Culture, Chad Emmett, Dr. Jill Jenkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of this project is to improve interaction between Arabs and Americans by determining which aspects of American culture are hard for some Arabs to tolerate and why. The survey instrument consists of personal information which includes each participant’s age, gender, country, the extent of his/her interaction with Americans, length of residence in the U.S.,and English language and American culture training. Twenty experiences taken from the lives of Arab students at BYU comprise the body of the survey. The participants were asked if they “Strongly agree”, “Agree”, “Disagree”, or “Strongly disagree” with the feelings of the Arab in each …


Identity In A Changing West, Elizabeth Parnell, Dr. Richard H. Jackson Jan 2014

Identity In A Changing West, Elizabeth Parnell, Dr. Richard H. Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As suburbanization sweeps across the United States, creating a more homogeneous society, historians and geographers are interested in knowing the impact this is having and will have in the future on the “sense of place” that distinguishes small towns. Particularly in the state of Utah, questions have been raised about the future of the original settlements known as “Mormon villages”. Will suburban sprawl and city zoning ordinances result in the destruction of the distinctive architecture, organization and character of these communities, replacing their distinctiveness with faceless suburbia? Historic preservation is designed to protect specified historic structures and places of importance …


The Role Of Religion In Post-Soviet Russia, Jennifer Christenson, Richard H. Jackson Jan 2014

The Role Of Religion In Post-Soviet Russia, Jennifer Christenson, Richard H. Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research during the last year can be divided into four general categories: the history and state of the Russian Orthodox Church today; the current geography, or spatial distributions, of religions in Russia; non-traditional religions in Russia; and finally, Russia’s 1997 religion bill On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations. I chose these particular areas of focus because they will assist me in making final conclusions about the role of religion in post-Soviet Russia as I study and live in Russia during the Fall 1998 Semester. This paper will summarize my findings in each area and then explain what I …


The Politics Of Religious Pluralism In Palestine: Measuring Democracy Through The Eyes Of Palestinian Christians, Matthew D. Whitton, Dr. Chad Emmett Jan 2014

The Politics Of Religious Pluralism In Palestine: Measuring Democracy Through The Eyes Of Palestinian Christians, Matthew D. Whitton, Dr. Chad Emmett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Despite recent events, the last ten years has represented an unparalleled opportunity for Palestinians and Israelis to resolve their many differences at the negotiating table. With the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Palestinians received for the first time a level of autonomy that many hope will eventually accumulate in the establishment of an independent Palestinian State. The Palestinian Authority (PA) became the governing body of the Palestinians during an interim period designed to test the Palestinian leadership’s resolve to democracy and Israel’s security.


Land And Water Conservation In Tanzania: A Field Analysis, Lisette Borchert, Dr. Richard Jackson Jan 2014

Land And Water Conservation In Tanzania: A Field Analysis, Lisette Borchert, Dr. Richard Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There is an increasing concern over environmental change on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro (Newmark 1992). For the Chagga, the indigenous people of this region, Mount Kilimanjaro is the source of all life. Primarily, they are dependent on the mountain for water, which is vital for their agricultural production and domestic needs. Historically, land has been passed down from father to son in these tiny African villages. However, as the population in the village increases, the sizes of each plot gets smaller and smaller until the plot becomes unusable. Likewise, as the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park and Forest Reserve (KNPFR) continues to …


Lds Geography On A Micro-Scale, Nathan Simmons, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom Oct 2013

Lds Geography On A Micro-Scale, Nathan Simmons, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recently the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has gained world-wide recognition for the high standards the Church promotes, but perhaps even more so for the rapid growth and expansion it has experienced. Much of this spread is due to the Church’s policy of active proselytizing, a force which fuels the spatial diffusion of church membership. It is therefore valuable to study the spatial diffusion of the LDS faith throughout the world to better understand the factors that influence the distribution of church membership throughout the world, and that promote its growth.


Utah County Government Study, Amanda K. Tammen, Dr. Richard H. Jackson Oct 2013

Utah County Government Study, Amanda K. Tammen, Dr. Richard H. Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Glamorous Presidential, Senatorial, and Congressional campaigns garner airtime, contributions, and groupies. Any observant constituent would believe that the aforementioned elected officials influence their lives the most. However, local elected and appointed officials have a greater impact on residents’ lives. By far, the least understood responsibilities are those at the County level. In 1832 Alexis de Tocqueville stated, “The County becomes the great administrative center and the intermediary between the government and the plain citizen.” Today many can name their city’s mayor. But most cannot name even one of their elected county commissioners.


The Impact Of Light Rail On Land Use In The Salt Lake Valley, Kenneth K. Rencher, Dr. Richard H. Jackson Oct 2013

The Impact Of Light Rail On Land Use In The Salt Lake Valley, Kenneth K. Rencher, Dr. Richard H. Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2001 The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) completed the first phase of a new light rail system, TRAX, stretching from Downtown Salt Lake City south to Sandy. Two years later, an east-west line was added to connect to the University of Utah and the U of U Medical Center. One of the justifications for these projects was that the creation of a light rail system would be a catalyst to economic development in the areas around the tracks and stations. This study examines the initial impacts on housing densities, commercial and retail development, and property values along the existing TRAX …


Bridging The Byu Administration – International Student Gap, Maraly Ledezma, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom Oct 2013

Bridging The Byu Administration – International Student Gap, Maraly Ledezma, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The project was extremely successful. It is a living witness that when are anxiously engaged in a good cause, and pray in faith, God puts forth his hand.


Strangers In A Strange Land: The Phenomenon Of Migration In South Africa, Stephen J. Spiegelhalter, Dr. Daniel Nielson Oct 2013

Strangers In A Strange Land: The Phenomenon Of Migration In South Africa, Stephen J. Spiegelhalter, Dr. Daniel Nielson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The result of the funding from this grant is a preliminary insight into the phenomenon of migration in South Africa. While interesting in and of itself, it actually comprises an important component of a larger project—an honors thesis on the study of international migration, its effects on the migrating population, and its effects on the host state. This study focuses on the parallel situations of the United States and South Africa. Further, it specifically examines the interplay of domestic economic and political conditions and public sentiment regarding immigration legislation. This topic continues to occupy the foreground of American politics with …